One insurer is among the ranks of the most engaged workplaces in North America, and they did it by doing one simple thing.
Zurich North America has been recognized as one of the Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces in North America for 2015.
“Employee engagement is very important to us because we know that highly engaged employees contribute greatly to the success of an organization,” said Brian Little, head of human resources at Zurich North America. “We’re honored to be recognized for creating a culture at Zurich that aims to increase the potential of our employees.”
The Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces Awards panel of judges evaluated each applicant based on the Eight Elements of Employee Engagement: Communication, Leadership, Culture, Rewards & Recognition, Professional & Personal Growth, Accountability & Performance, Vision & Values, and Corporate Social Responsibility.
By listening to employees and gathering feedback, Zurich identified focus areas and developed plans to address where the company had the greatest opportunity to improve. Some examples of Zurich’s employee engagement efforts include a new-hire welcome experience; an enhanced rewards and recognition program that allows peers to recognize one another; team spirit days; celebrations where leadership shares employee accomplishments company-wide; listening forums to provide employees the opportunity to give feedback to leaders; and quarterly CEO information sharing sessions that all employees can attend to hear updates on financial metrics and the progress on business priorities.
“This marks our fifth year recognizing incredible, employee‐focused companies that are changing the way the world works, and we’re excited to honour them with this award,” said Cheryl Kerrigan, vice president of employee success at Achievers. “These companies are setting the benchmark for standards in employee engagement by making engaging, aligning and recognizing employees a top priority, which sets them apart from their competition.”
The Achievers awards gala will be held March 11 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Zurich’s corporate giving philosophy inspires employees to volunteer their time and talents to support local communities, said Tracy Lampert, Zurich North America Commercial Chief of Staff who oversees an Employee Engagement team, adding that the company works to create many opportunities during the year where employees can get involved and make charitable contributions.
“A key to achieving engagement is helping employees understand how their daily jobs connect to the overall business strategy,” said Lampert. “We are creating a culture at Zurich where employees feel involved in the business, their views are heard, and their contributions are valued.”
The panel of judges included various academic and thought leaders on employee engagement, and included representation from organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Human Capital Institute, and Human Resource Executive.
